Explainer: Which states have abortion on their ballot?
The Supreme Court’s June ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade has produced ballot questions in a handful of states this fall.
Three states are asking voters whether they want to establish a right to abortion, while a single state is asking if its constitution should say there is no such right.
Kansas voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure that would have permitted lawmakers to tighten abortion laws or outlaw the procedure outright in August.
Let’s take a closer look at what voters will be deciding when voting concludes Nov. 8:
WHAT QUESTIONS ARE ON THE BALLOT?
California, Michigan and Vermont are all considering questions that would amend their state constitutions to establish a right to abortion.
Kentucky is asking voters whether the state constitution should say it doesn’t protect the right to an abortion.
Montana is asking voters whether to require medical care and treatment for infants born alive after an attempted abortion.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT STATUS OF ABORTION?
The ballot measures come in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling in June that the U.S. Constitution doesn’t confer a right to abortion.
Vermont Gov. Phil, Scott suggested in a statement that the question had taken on new urgency since the court’s ruling.
“It is more important than ever to make sure the women ... have the right to make their own decisions about their health, bodies, and their futures,” he said.
Kentucky has moved to tighten abortion restrictions, and Montana’s Republicancontrolled Legislature passed legislation referring the question to voters.
Kentucky’s Supreme Court is hearing arguments over the state’s near total abortion ban, but has kept that prohibition in effect while the case is pending.
Abortion is currently legal in Vermont. California and Michigan permit abortions before viability. Montana restricts abortions after viability as well, but a court has put a hold on a measure that would bar the procedure after 20 weeks.